Lakeside Sugar Refinery
Eagle Lake, Colorado County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The sugar industry, which began in Texas before the Civil War (1861-65), was revived in the late 1800s by cheaper refining methods. One of the leading sugar producers in Colorado County was William Dunovant. In 1898 he and several men from Eagle Lake built the Cane Belt Railroad to take cane to the mill. Later extended, the profitable rail line was purchased by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1902. The success of the railroad encouraged Dunovant to build a refining plant for this area. Lakeside Sugar Refinery, erected at this site about 1902, processed up to 1,000 tons of cane each day and produced 5,000,000 pounds of refined sugar each year. A train called the "Whangdoodle" carried cane from nearby fields to the refinery. By 1910 Lakeside Mill was one of the largest in Texas, with about 100 employees. It stimulated the local economy and attracted able businessmen, such as Rudolph Wintermann and son Oscar J. Wintermann. After its best season in 1908-09, the sugar industry declined. A state law forbidding use of convict labor raised production costs. A tropical storm damaged the refinery, and an early freeze destroyed much of the sugar crop. Sold in 1913, the Lakeside Refinery was dismantled in 1918 and rebuilt in Jamaica.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Texas sugar-making, born before the Civil War, roared back to life around 1900 thanks to cheaper refining methods and the drive of Colorado County planter William Dunovant. He and his partners built the Cane Belt Railroad to haul cane, then erected this refinery about 1902; at its height it processed up to 1,000 tons of cane a day and turned out five million pounds of refined sugar a year. A little train nicknamed the "Whangdoodle" fed the mill from surrounding fields. But after a peak season in 1908–09, tropical storms, an early freeze, and a new law banning convict labor broke the industry, and the plant was dismantled in 1918 and shipped off to Jamaica.
Why it matters
The refinery captures the boom-and-bust rhythm of Gilded Age agribusiness, where a single crop, a spur railroad, and cheap labor could conjure a local economy almost overnight—and just as quickly lose it.
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Related people
- · William Dunovant
- · Rudolph Wintermann
- · Oscar J. Wintermann
Themes & tags
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